The smartphone race has undoubtedly become a two-horse race between the iPhone and Android devices, with Apple and Samsung running the show. According to Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, however, this domination by two mobile operating systems is raising concerns amongst carriers around the world.

Elop believes that carriers, starting in the United States, will ultimately begin to realize that it’s important to have a third powerful ecosystem. That third ecosystem, in the mind of Elop, will be the Windows Phone 8 platform that powers Nokia’s lineup of smartphones.

“There’s a dynamic that we’re seeing and hearing about … and that is increasing concern amongst operators about the concentration of power that is landing with two particular ecosystems that are obviously quite strong out there today,” Elop said during a Thursday earnings call. “I think you’re going to see a trend where operators, starting in the West, begin to say, ‘We need a third ecosystem to really begin to happen. We really need to double down on it. We need to cause it to happen.’”

Elop stresses that the emergence of a third mobile ecosystem will start during the fourth quarter and carry over into 2013. Nokia has several flagship smartphones that will utilize the Windows Phone 8 platform, including the highly touted Lumia 920 device. Increased competition in the mobile sector is certainly beneficial to the consumer, since there are more options for people to choose from and increased innovation from companies like Apple, Samsung and Nokia to be the best handset maker.